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Mom and 2 Kids Nearly Escape Drowning

On Tuesday September 4th, 2018 at 3:23 pm units from the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue and Arlington County Fire Departments were dispatched to Bluemont Park near the playground for an “injury”. It was reported that a woman and two children were swept off the low-level bridge and into the creek. The caller stated that the woman had been able to get all parties out of the creek. Arriving fire department units found a mother, an infant and a toddler that were wet and had minor scrapes and bruises but were otherwise okay. The patients were warmed and evaluated by Paramedics and an Advanced Paramedic Officer. The mother refused transport to the hospital.

According to the mother, they started across the bridge when the water was not too high. Once they got on the bridge the level rose dramatically. There was a thunderstorm impacting north Arlington but very little precipitation had fallen at this location.

The Park Manager was notified a Park Ranger responded to place caution tape across the bridge.

Safety takeaways:

Turn Around, Don’t Drown!
Avoid walking or driving through flood waters.
Just 6 inches of moving water can knock you down, and 2 feet of water can sweep your
vehicle away.
If there is a chance of flash flooding, move immediately to higher ground. Flash floods
are the #1 cause of weather-related deaths in the US.

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